Brewers television broadcaster Brian Anderson blogs about baseball in Milwaukee.

Brewers @ Phillies

Half empty: The Crew is coming off a 3-7 homestand and has already lost as many games in September than they did the entire month of August (20-7)

Half full: The Crew won a grinder of a game Wednesday versus the Reds and enter a key 4-game series in Philadelphia in good spirits and a 4-game lead with 16 to play in the wild card race…and Ben Sheets on the mound for the opener.

Hang in there Brewer fans, meaningful September baseball is rarely without some turbulence!

Here is a statitstical montage Brian Mikolajek and I put together, with an assist from STATS to get you ready for the Phillies series:

The season series between these clubs is tied at one win a piece.

The Brewers have won each of their last three road games, outscoring their opponents 21-4 in that span. However, they have dropped seven of their last 10 games overall.

Philadelphia has lost three of its last four games, including two in a row.

With his win on Saturday, Ben Sheets established a new career-high with his 13th win of the season. Sheets is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in seven career starts against the Phillies.

Jamie Moyer is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in his last two starts.

Seventeen of Mike Cameron’s 24 home runs have come on the road this season.

Ryan Howard has three doubles, three homers and seven RBI in his last five games. Howard is 0-for-6 in his two meetings with the Brewers this season

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12 Comments

If the Brewers blow a solid playoff lead for the second year in a row, how can they possibly even consider bringing Ned Yost back again as manager. Last year and this, when the games have mattered most, they have not only lost, but lost impressively. I remember Ned as a player, I like Ned, but I think Ned must go of they choke this away yet again.

Ryan Braun has definitely changed his swing since his injury. If you look at his swing over the past several weeks since he has been struggling, most obviously when he misses, he doesn’t finish like he used to. One of the things that helped him generate so much power was his follow through which literally pounded his bat off his bat. Now he has this weird finish in which he stops his follow through and swings his bat around his head. Some may say that it doesn’t affect the move to the ball, but I disagree. Please return to your old finish!

I feel disgusted after losing last night’s game at Wrigley; …It has been too long since the ’82 post season and this Brewers team has too much talent to fall short again. Over the past 5 seasons the Brewers have made drastic improvements to the overall team talent….however, letting Cordero go to the Reds this off-seasn was a BIG mistake; and to add insult to injury the Crew signs Gagne’, pronounced (Gag-mee) if you’re a Red Sox or Brewers fan. The Brewers have used Torres, but he really is more of a set-up man for the closer.

The hitting, up to this point, has shielded the below average bullpen. I like Shouse, Stetter, Torres, and Villanueva…but can’t count on Riske, Mota, Gagne’,

Last, Yost got fired because he doesn’t know how to put together a line up. Why in the “H” is R. Weeks leading off with a .233 BA??? And this is his ’08 season high, the majority of the time he was batting .210 or lower. Plus he’s a liability in the field, how many errors by Weeks have cost the Breweres a close game? Cameron isn’t the answer either; why not Durham, Hardy, or Hart? I realize Hart has been somewhat “MIA” for the last 45 days but he’s still a .275 hitter with speed and power.

The Sabbathia trade WAS great, but it won’t mean a thing if I’m enjoying football-only in October!

Hard to watch the past few weeks, glad I missed most of the games and just heard the final outcome later in the obituaries I mean box score. So many watch in disbelief as a team with so much potential just gives up. The season is a marathon and the finish line is nearing and they quit with a mile to go. Blame Ned, Blame The closing staff, the fact is The TEAM QUIT. Young future stars who may never get this close again… There chance to go to the series with C.C is closing soon. They have time to put together a turn around people will talk about forever, or end it in a way that will turn away many of there fans.I am so sick of being reminded about 1982. It might as well have been 1892. The past is the past, let it go! This team could leave a memory in Milwaukee forever and wipe out the 1982 merry-go-round the organization keeps parading by us. PLEASE SAVE US FROM REVISITING ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE PAST!
Hopeful in Missouri!

Well you got invited to the dance guys… Let’s try going into game two and give C.C. some run support! Winning games in the 9th inning is exciting, but you can not live off it every game. It is a long season and I am sure the team is tired, however, the race is not done. Leaving a legacy in Milwaukee can last for a long time, just ask us who have suffered the 26 year old merry-go-round reminder. This is the chance to do something great. The TEAM must get fired up and win TOGETHER. Ryan and Prince can not hit HR’s every game to make up for everyone else. The TEAM needs more than the obvious two to get hot. The fan pep rally was great, however I did not see that fire on the field today! We are behind you all & know what you CAN do. Let’s WIN this and stop looking back!
Still hanging on in Missouri!

Well it was nice to see the team make the playoffs. However it was disappointing to see them fall apart hitting wise the last third of the season. They had the talent, the hitters but just could not get hits or score runs. That is what cost them so dearly. You cannot win the big show if you cannot muster up more than a run or two a game. Pitchers will have a bad day now and then. C.C. did all he could for the team and then some. Lack of runs. You have bases loaded with one out in the first inning and you can’t drive in any of those runners you are not going to be competitive enough. So why could they not hit the last part of the season. Lets be honest, you cannot have a weak hitter in right, one at third both around 215 when you already know the pitcher and catcher spot typically is a 210 area. That hurts big time. That has to become more productive. I hope C.C. can give us another year and a hitting coach can figure out the problem with lack of run support. Wish Gabe Kapler had been healthy enough to play outfield and help the offense. We did not use our second base trade player Durham enough.

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